South Western Railway (SWR) has officially become the first railway service to transfer back into public control under new legislation (25 May), bringing almost 30 years of privitastion to an end.
SWR services are being managed by DfT Operator Ltd (DFTO), with the transfer reportedly not impacting planned journeys, tickets or timetables and all current tickets remain valid.
DFTO is the government’s public sector owning group that will manage all train companies as they move into public ownership ahead of the creation of Great British Railways (GBR).
The renationalisation of SWR follows the passing of the Public Ownership Act in November 2024, with all passenger services operating under contracts with the DFTO to return to public ownership by the end of 2027.
Services are being transferred after contracts reach the end of their minimum term, or where they can be ended early, ensuring taxpayers pay no additional costs for breaking contracts.
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All DFTO rail services that are renationalised will then eventually be integrated into GBR, with the UK government reporting that this could save British taxpayers into £150m.
Additionally, publicly owned operators under DFTO are now responsible for over 25% of the network – with more than 455 million passenger miles, over 6,000 services running each day and almost 24,000 colleagues.
Secretary of state for transport Heidi Alexander said: “Today is a watershed moment in our work to return the railways to the service of passengers.
“Trains from Waterloo to Weymouth, Bournemouth and Exeter will be run by the public, for the public.
“But I know that most users of the railway don’t spend much time thinking about who runs the trains – they just want them to work.
“That’s why operators will have to meet rigorous performance standards and earn the right to be called Great British Railways.
“We have a generational opportunity to restore national pride in our railways and I will not waste it.”
Achievements in public transport planning will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
